Brooklyn & Staten Island · Direct Buyer · Off-Market
We Buy Houses, Buildings & Development Sites in Brooklyn & Staten Island
Red Hook Development acquires multifamily, mixed-use, rent-stabilized, 421-a, industrial and vacant properties, plus one- to four-family houses, in every Brooklyn and Staten Island neighborhood. Sell directly — no listing, no showings, no public price history.
- Buy as-is: violations, vacancies, deferred maintenance and occupied buildings
- Confidential, off-market process — your tenants and neighbors don’t need to know
- Flexible structures: all-cash, fast close, seller financing, or a JV on development land
- A real answer within days, from people who build in these neighborhoods
Get a Confidential Offer
Four quick fields. We respond within one business day.
Want to share rents, units or zoning? Use the detailed form.
Quick Answers
Who Buys Property in Brownstone Brooklyn?
Who buys buildings and land in Brooklyn and Staten Island directly from owners?
Red Hook Development is a Brooklyn real estate developer that buys houses, buildings and development land directly from owners, off-market, throughout Brooklyn and Staten Island. We purchase as a principal, so there is no listing and no commission on a direct sale.
Who buys rent-stabilized buildings and 421-a buildings in Brooklyn?
We do. Red Hook Development buys rent-stabilized walk-ups with tenants in place, buildings whose 421-a tax abatement is phasing out, and unfinished 421-a projects facing completion deadlines. We underwrite regulated rents, tax schedules and compliance history up front so the offer reflects the building as it really is.
Who buys distressed or as-is property in Brooklyn?
Red Hook Development buys Brooklyn properties as-is, including buildings with open HPD, DOB or ECB violations, vacant or fire-damaged buildings, stalled construction, estates in probate, and properties with liens or tax arrears. You do not need to repair, clean out or vacate the property before selling.
Who buys development sites and air rights in Brooklyn?
We buy vacant lots, teardowns, underbuilt properties, assemblages and unused development rights in brownstone Brooklyn and along the waterfront. Where it makes sense, we can also partner with owners in a joint venture rather than buying the land outright.
How fast can I sell my Brooklyn building?
We typically respond within one business day, walk the property within about a week of a first conversation, and deliver a written offer soon after. Closing timing depends mainly on title; when title is clear we can move quickly, and we can also wait for an estate, 1031 exchange or relocation.
Where We Buy
Seven Neighborhoods. One Focused Buyer.
We started in brownstone Brooklyn and the waterfront, and today we buy across all of Brooklyn and Staten Island. We know the zoning, landmark rules, flood maps and block-by-block values that drive each neighborhood. Each neighborhood has its own story — and its own reasons owners sell.
Gowanus
The 2021 rezoning of 82 blocks around the canal opened former manufacturing sites to residential and mixed-use development. We buy garages, warehouses, lots and Fourth Avenue walk-ups, and we understand the rezoning’s affordability, waterfront and environmental requirements.
Carroll Gardens & Cobble Hill
Deep-yard brownstones, family-owned walk-ups and storefront buildings on Court and Smith Streets and Atlantic Avenue. Many are rent stabilized, many are landmarked, and many have been held for generations.
Brooklyn Heights
New York City’s first historic district, with townhouses, carriage houses and pre-war walk-ups where nearly every exterior change requires Landmarks Preservation Commission review.
Red Hook
Warehouses, industrial lots and Van Brunt Street storefronts in a flood-prone, manufacturing-zoned waterfront neighborhood now shaped by the approved Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment plan.
Downtown Brooklyn & Park Slope
High-density development sites and air rights in the rezoned downtown core, and brownstones, walk-ups and Fourth Avenue development parcels in Park Slope.
What We Buy
Buildings With Upside — and Land Ready to Build
Multifamily & Walk-Ups
5+ unit walk-ups and elevator buildings, including rent-stabilized and partially vacant properties.
Development Land & Lots
Vacant lots, teardowns, assemblages and sites with unused FAR or air rights.
Mixed-Use Buildings
Retail on the ground floor with apartments above — on avenues, commercial strips and corner lots.
Industrial & Commercial
Warehouses, garages, auto shops and manufacturing buildings — especially in Gowanus and Red Hook.
Brownstones & Townhouses
Two- to four-family homes and townhouses that need a full gut renovation or conversion.
Distressed & Complicated
Estates, partnership buyouts, open violations, stop-work orders, liens and stalled projects.
Specialties
Rent-Stabilized and 421-a Buildings: Our Specialty
Two kinds of Brooklyn buildings are especially hard to sell on the open market right now: rent-stabilized buildings and buildings whose 421-a tax abatement is ending. Both involve regulated rents, detailed public records, and future costs that many buyers either misunderstand or refuse to underwrite. We specialize in them.
Rent-stabilized buildings
Since the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, stabilized apartments generally stay stabilized, and renovation-based increases are capped and heavily documented. In June 2026, the Rent Guidelines Board voted a 0% increase for both one- and two-year leases starting October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Owners of older walk-ups face rising taxes, insurance and repair costs against flat regulated income. We buy these buildings with tenants in place and explain exactly how we value them. Read our guide to selling a rent-stabilized building.
421-a tax abatement buildings
The 421-a program stopped accepting new projects that began after June 15, 2022 and was replaced by 485-x in 2024. Thousands of buildings still carry 421-a benefits that phase out over time, and unfinished 421-a(16) projects face completion deadlines of June 15, 2026 or, for eligible projects that filed a letter of intent, June 15, 2031. When the tax cliff arrives, stabilized and income-restricted units remain. We underwrite the full schedule and buy completed buildings and stalled projects alike. Read our guide to selling a 421-a building.
How It Works
A Simple, Private Sale in Three Steps
01
Tell Us About the Property
Send the address and whatever you’re comfortable sharing — units, rents, condition, your timeline. Everything stays confidential.
02
We Underwrite & Walk It
We review zoning, rent rolls and DHCR registrations, tax-benefit status, the building and comparable sales, then walk the property once, at your convenience.
03
Get Your Offer & Close
You receive a written offer with clear terms. If it works for you, we close with your attorney on your timeline.
Why Sell Off-Market
Skip the Listing. Keep Control of the Sale.
Listing a Brooklyn building usually means months on the market, public price cuts, tenant disruption, repeated showings and buyers who re-trade at the last minute. Selling directly to a developer that actually builds here is quieter, faster and more certain.
- No brokerage commission on a direct sale. You deal with the buyer, not a middleman.
- No repairs, no clean-out. We buy as-is, including tenants, violations and deferred maintenance.
- Certainty of close. We underwrite up front so terms don’t change after inspection.
- Your timeline. Close quickly, or take time to handle a 1031 exchange, estate or relocation.
- Creative structures. Seller financing, partial retained interest, or a JV on development land.
- Discretion. No sign, no public listing history, no open houses.
The Market in 2026
What Brooklyn Owners Are Weighing Right Now
The rules that shape Brooklyn property values have changed more in the past few years than in the previous two decades. If you own a building or land in our neighborhoods, these are the forces most likely to affect your price.
- Rent regulation. HSTPA (2019) made most stabilized apartments permanently stabilized, and the 2026 rent freeze holds regulated rents flat for leases starting October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
- Good Cause Eviction. Since April 2024, many unregulated New York City apartments are covered by Good Cause Eviction, which treats rent increases above the lower of CPI plus 5% or 10% as presumptively unreasonable, with exemptions for small landlords, newer buildings and high-rent units.
- From 421-a to 485-x. New rental construction now relies on 485-x, with required affordable units at set income levels and, for larger projects, construction wage minimums.
- City of Yes for Housing Opportunity. Approved in December 2024, it added a Universal Affordability Preference allowing roughly 20% more floor area for permanently affordable housing, eliminated parking mandates in the most transit-rich areas, and broadened conversions of older offices to housing.
- Big neighborhood plans. The Gowanus rezoning and the Brooklyn Marine Terminal redevelopment plan in Red Hook are reshaping what nearby land can become.
None of these changes affect every property the same way. That’s why we underwrite each building individually and tell owners, in plain language, which factors drive our number.
Situations We Solve
Complicated Is Our Specialty
Inherited & Estate Property
We work with executors, heirs and estate attorneys — including properties still in probate or held by several family members.
Rent-Stabilized Buildings
Occupied, below-market buildings are hard to sell to traditional buyers. We underwrite them as they are.
Violations & Stalled Projects
Open DOB, HPD or ECB violations, lapsed permits, stop-work orders and half-finished construction.
Tired Landlords
Ready to stop dealing with tenants, repairs and regulation? Sell as-is and move on.
Expiring 421-a Benefits
Buildings facing a tax phase-out, lease-rider questions or affordable-unit compliance.
Underbuilt Lots & Air Rights
Your building may sit on unused development rights. We can pay for that value — or partner with you on it.
Why Us
What Makes a Developer a Different Kind of Buyer
Most buyers of Brooklyn buildings fall into three groups: investors who want stabilized cash flow at a low price, wholesalers who put a property under contract and try to resell the contract, and end users buying a single home. Red Hook Development is none of those. We are a developer that renovates, repositions and builds — which means we can see, and pay for, value that other buyers ignore.
A walk-up with a failing boiler, a garage on a rezoned block, a townhouse that needs LPC approvals, a 421-a building nearing its tax cliff: to a passive investor, each is a problem. To a developer, each is a plan. That difference shows up in the offer, in how carefully the offer is explained, and in whether the deal actually closes.
We also buy with our own capital and decision-making, so owners talk to the people who decide, not to an intermediary who has to “check with the buyer.” If we can’t make a deal work, we’ll say so quickly and, when we can, point you toward a better fit.
Getting Ready
A Seller’s Checklist for Brooklyn Buildings
You don’t need any of this to start a conversation, but having it handy speeds up our underwriting and usually leads to a sharper number.
- The property address, block and lot, and the name the deed is held in
- A current rent roll and any commercial leases
- The most recent DHCR registration for stabilized units
- Recent real estate tax bills and any 421-a or J-51 exemption information
- Known repairs, open violations, permits or stop-work orders
- Existing mortgage details, including prepayment terms
- Any estate, trust or partnership documents that affect who can sign
If anything is missing, we can usually pull it from public records ourselves. The only thing we truly need to begin is the address.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Who buys houses and buildings for cash in Brooklyn?
Red Hook Development buys Brooklyn buildings, brownstones and land directly from owners and can offer all-cash terms without financing contingencies on suitable properties, with flexible closing dates.
Do you buy properties as-is?
Yes. We buy occupied, vacant, distressed and gut-renovation properties. You don’t need to make repairs, clear violations or clean out the building before selling.
How quickly can you close?
Timing depends mostly on title and the property’s situation. When title is clear we can move quickly; if you need more time for an estate, a 1031 exchange or a move, we close on your schedule.
Do I have to pay a commission?
Not on a direct sale to us. We purchase as a principal for our own account. If you already have a broker, we’re happy to work with them.
Will you buy a building with rent-stabilized tenants?
Yes. Occupied and rent-stabilized buildings are a core part of what we buy, and tenants remain in place with their existing rights.
Do you buy buildings with 421-a tax abatements?
Yes. We buy completed 421-a rentals, buildings in or near their phase-out, 421-a condominium inventory and stalled 421-a(16) projects.
Is my information kept confidential?
Always. We don’t list, publicize or share your property details. Many owners come to us because they want a private sale.
Which areas do you buy in?
Every neighborhood in Brooklyn and Staten Island, from Greenpoint to Coney Island and from St. George to Tottenville. See all the neighborhoods we buy in.
Thinking About Selling a Brooklyn Building or Lot?
Get a confidential, no-obligation offer from a developer that builds in your neighborhood.